Judiciary
Jordan Wike did not admit receiving $2.1m — Lawyer debunks VDM, Sahara Reporters claim
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr James Ogwu Onoja, SAN, has debunked reports that Barrister Jordan Nyesom Wike admitted receiving $2.1 million in an Abuja land transaction.
Onoja said the reports being circulated by Sahara Reporters and social media commentator, Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), are false, malicious and reprehensible.
He warned that bloggers and commentators who continue to peddle the falsehood risk both criminal and civil actions for malicious falsehood, cyberbullying, slander and libel.
The reaction was contained in a statement issued on Friday in Abuja over the civil suit filed by one Safwan Garba against Jordan Wike over an Abuja land matter.
The suit, marked FCT/HC/CV/008/2026, is currently pending before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Onoja, who is lead counsel to Jordan Wike, said his attention was drawn to a series of blog posts and social media commentaries attributed to an interview granted by I.G. Wuru, lawyer to Safwan Garba.
In the said interview, Wuru allegedly insinuated that Jordan Wike admitted in court to receiving the disputed $2.1 million from the plaintiff.
Onoja said the claim is a complete fabrication intended to mislead the public and tarnish the reputation of his client.
“For the records, Jordan Wike in his defence before the court stated in unequivocal terms that he has never met Safwan Garba G.Y. or any of his agents at any time,” he said.
He added that his client maintained this position while giving evidence in court on September 28 and 30, 2026.
He described as baffling that Wuru granted the interview weeks after the actual proceedings at the FCT High Court.
According to him, the interview, which was granted at the Federal High Court, Abuja, has become the source of defamatory and unfounded conclusions on social media.
He noted that other platforms including Port Harcourt Specials, The Cable, Ogoni Times, Magic FM Aba, Information Nigeria, Kalabari TV, Sorosoye Gossip and Edo Updates have continued to amplify the falsehood.
Onoja said his team had hitherto refrained from commenting because the matter is sub judice.
He, however, said the daily name-calling and barrage of lies against the young man made it imperative to set the record straight.
“Safwan Garba instituted this action in court but it appears he is not contented with letting the court determine the matter,” he said.
He accused the opposing counsel of resorting to media trial instead of maintaining proper professional posture.
Onoja said the false narrative appears to be an orchestrated media campaign to whip up sentiments and intimidate the judge.
On the alleged EFCC petition being circulated, he said it was his team that tendered the letter in court to expose inconsistencies in Safwan Garba’s story.
He said Safwan Garba deliberately kept the document away from his pleadings and failed to follow up with the EFCC after realising his claims were too glaring to be true.
The SAN urged the public to disregard what he called vicious and barefaced lies and the flagrant misrepresentation by I.G. Waru, which he described as contemptuous and unethical.
He demanded that those who have made defamatory publications, conclusions and insinuations should pull them down immediately, as they are palpably unfounded.